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Coming to Haverford, I knew I wanted to be a psych major, but I also knew that neuroscience was incredibly interesting to me. I decided almost right away that the NBS concentration would be the perfect balance for me to educate myself both in what I love and what fascinates me (even though it proved to be very challenging). Taking this seminar, I was able to research, learn and discuss things that have always been of interest to me but were never really covered in any class in depth. We would always mention love, pain, psychotherapy, and psychosomatics, but never in such a way that stretches the brain to its full capacity the way this seminar has. Personally, I have been wanting to learn more about phantom limbs since I came here, but it was never in any curriculum. Hopefully in my presentation, my intrigue in this topic came across..the way that the brain and the body co-adapt to various situations is really amazing to me. And the idea of tricking the brain into thinking it's body is "whole" using mirrors really shakes the foundations of neuroscience and biological psych.

I found our discussion on diversity and productivity to be particularly interesting; the paradox that a more diverse setting will allow for the most productivity only on the condition that all parties get along (which is clearly not often the case) was a good starting point for the class. It showed that ideal situations are just not easily obtained because as humans, we are socially behaviorally complex; our behaviors clash with our brains appetite for efficiency and productivity.

Another interesting topic that I felt connection brain and behavior very well was the CBT discussion. Although there is a certain level of commitment and acceptance of the patient (which can have direct effects on CBT outcomes as well), the power of behavior (whether genuine or forced) on the brain is undeniable. It's also interesting to see the differences between patients who believe in the therapy and those that don't, because it seems that the power of positive thinking is greatly at play here.

Thanks for an interesting seminar everyone!